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Health & Fitness

From Manicures to Israel: Growing To Understand

Guest writer Leah Gold of Pikesville, a member of the 2011-12 Diller Teen Fellows Baltimore cohort, shares what she's learned from the program, both here at home and in Israel.

By Leah Gold

When I first learned about the Diller Teen Fellows Program, I was hesitant to apply. I heard it was an honor to be accepted and that it provided one of those “life-changing” experiences, but I didn’t want to go through another teen program that left me unmoved and unchanged.

Despite my hesitations, and with great persuasion from my mother, I applied and luckily was accepted. Now, being an almost Diller alumnus, I can truthfully say that applying to Diller was one of my best decisions ever made.

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The Diller Teen Fellows program is a teen leadership development program; there are six cohorts of Jewish teens in North America, each partnered with a community in Israel.

After months of workshops and gatherings within each community—as well as interacting with our partner community in Ashkelon—the program concludes with all 12 communities coming together in Israel. I just returned from that momentous experience.

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But to go back, the very first memory that sticks out in my mind is the first time our Baltimore cohort met. I gathered every piece of furniture my basement could hold, for I was hosting the meeting.

After setting up bowls of Chex Mix and peanut M&Ms, I anxiously awaited the arrival of my 19 other fellows. “Awkward” is an understatement to describe the air that filled my basement.

All 20 of us stared off into open spaces and corners to avoid making eye contact.I t was as if we had forgotten how to talk and had returned back to our very first day of pre-school. Although most of us attended different schools, had different friends, lived different lives, we all had one thing in common. We were chosen for this program because our community viewed us as leaders and invested in us to become future Jewish leaders. Yet, we couldn’t say a word.

A few moments later, the silence broke as a stampede of previous Dillers stormed down the steps.

Noise filled the air as the alums reminisced about their recent trip to Israel and uncontrollably laughed over the jokes they had created. The 20 of us stared in awe, thinking: Was that what we were supposed to become? From the looks of how our meeting was going, it seemed impossible. We all knew those connections were exactly what we wanted, we just didn’t know how we were going to get there.

Our answer was Israel. It took us about 12 hours and 7,000 miles to figure out that we had something special—that we were something special. Whether we were dancing together at the Kotel, or crying together on Mt. Herzl, it was as if Israel was the final piece we needed to create our bond. The unity we found during our first few days traveling together prepared us to represent Baltimore in the brightest light.

At the end of every day, we were able to have a Maagal Lila (a night circle), where we could share whatever was on our mind. I speak from the deepest place in my heart when I say the only way to describe being with my Diller cohort is perfection. I believe being able to be 100 percent comfortable and happy with a group of people is simply perfect, and our trip together was.

But before we got to Israel, we had real work to do. Part of our time in Diller is dedicated to creating our own community service project with face-to-face interactions. Each individual must plan her own project with at least six sessions that engage multiple volunteers.

My whole life, I have grown up doing community service, and I knew I really wanted my project to make a difference. I had heard that in previous years, some girls would go to senior citizens’ homes and give free manicures. To be honest with you, I did not want that to be my project at all. I could not fathom how giving a manicure would make a difference.

However, the Baltimore coordinator, and our superwoman, Megan Goldsmith, convinced me that it would be worth my while. So every Thursday evening, six other girls and myself would go to Weinberg Village in Owings Mills and give manicures to the residents.

To say the least, I was wrong when I thought it wouldn’t be rewarding. With cookie platters present, polish on the tables, and fingernails ready, we had the privilege of listening to the incredible life stories of the men and women of Weinberg Village.

The residents really became my new friends. Two couples would come get their manicures together every Thursday night and most nights, after the manicures were done, we would find ourselves huddled around one resident who told us her stories of how she survived the Holocaust.

If our regulars were missing, we would call up to their rooms to remind them it was Thursday. It never mattered that I had hours of homework to do, my Thursday nights at Weinberg Village were the highlights of my week. My service project’s purpose was to give these senior citizens someone to talk to. But I think I benefited more. Because I got to listen.

Because of Diller, I have a new family in Baltimore, I have a new home in Ashkelon—the Baltimore Diller Teen Fellows’ sister community—I have new friends across the continent, I have a new outlook on Judaism and on leadership, and I have a new understanding of who I am. So I repeat myself when I say that applying to Diller was one of my best decisions ever made.

The author is a member of the 2011-12 Diller Teen Fellows Baltimore cohort. More information on Diller Teen Fellows is available at http://www.jewishfed.org/diller/fellows.

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